STAFF VIDEOS
Katherine MacLeod
Hi there, my name is Catherine McLeod and I'm a marriage and family therapist trainee at Child
and Teen Counseling. I'm also pursuing my master's at CSUN and I got my undergraduate degree
at UCSB in psychological and brain sciences. So during my time at UCSB is really when I decided
to pursue this path to become a therapist. I was taking incredible classes in the psychology
department such as psychology and mindfulness that were really opening my mind to this world.
And at the same time, I was working as a peer mentor with children, teens, and young adults. So
my clients were ranging from age six all the way up to age 24. And these clients had autism spectrum
disorder. So what I was doing with them was really working on daily living skills. But what I
recognized was just how many conversations were circling back to mental health. And in that,
I was able to see just how important these conversations were to all ages, and especially these
ages of children, teens, and young adults specifically.
What I recognized in myself was just how comfortable I felt with some of these uncomfortable
conversations and just how moved and impacted I felt by joining someone on their journey within
their own mental health. So it was a really special time for me and I'm extremely excited to be
a marriage and family therapist trainee here. So that's a little bit about my path but as for
myself I really love to cook so I've grown up cooking with my mom since I was super little and it's
something that I find a lot of creativity in. I also love to go outside. So currently I've just
picked up playing pickleball which has been super fun.
I also love to play frisbee at the beach,
go for long walks or hikes, really anything to get me in the sunshine makes me happy. I also love
to go thrift shopping so that's another way that I'm able to be creative with my wardrobe or even
just my home decor. So that's been really fun and I'm also a very crafty person so I've found with
art I love to make things whether
it be with like air dry clay or I got really into embroidery as well. So those are just some fun
things about me. I'm really excited to hopefully get to know you soon and thanks so much for listening,
bye.
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Nathan Soria
Hey guys, my name is Nathan. I'm a current CSUN MFT graduate student and I'm also a MFT trainee
supervised by Kent Tucson at CTC. I wanted to become a therapist because one of my goals was to
be someone that people can rely on in their times of need, whether it be a shoulder to lean on,
a listening ear, or if all just somebody that they can turn to when they're unsure what to do.
As a side note, one of my bigger goals was to be able to shed light on mental health awareness in
the Asian community. So me being half Chinese, half Filipino, as I mentioned just being able
to spread awareness to not only my own communities but other communities that I'm going to have
the pleasure of working with in the near future.
I wanted to work with children and teens mainly
because of the energy that they bring to the table. Something about the youthfulness, the joyfulness,
the youthful and innocent energy is something that really resonates with me and I'm very much
looking forward to being able to tap into
my own inner self and my inner child and being able to for example, make art with them, play games
with them overall, just be a big brother to them. I can imagine that some of the benefits of therapy
for kids and teens can lie along the lines of just being able to guide them through such a ever
-changing time of their life, whether it be moving to a new school and navigating new relationships,
navigating their, you know, their friends they meet along the way, just being able to be a big
brother to them and guide them through the times of when they're unsure is one of my bigger goals
as well. Some of the interests and hobbies that I have for myself is I'm a big sports guy, I love
watching soccer, tennis, basketball, baseball, you name it. I also played tennis myself.
I played it all my life. I played club tennis for San Diego State when I was over there doing my
undergrad. And another fun fact about me is that I am a semi -retired Rubik's Cube solver. And
so I've had the pleasure of going
throughout the US, just competing and being able to solve the cube, meeting so many new people
and also recording some fast times along the way. So that's a little bit about me. I look forward
to working with you at Child and Teen Counseling. Thank you.
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Sam Kindseth
Hey, my name's Sam Kindseth. I'm a marriage and family therapist trainee here at Child Teen Counseling, and I'm currently a master student at Pepperdine. Some things about me is I love fashion, music,
being outdoors, and playing video games. So I entered the therapy field because of my own personal
struggles with mental health in the past, and I'd love to be that person for your child or teen
that I could've used during those years.
I think it's super important for a child or teen be able
to talk about what's going on in a completely confidential and non -judgmental space and as
a young adult myself I feel like I can really connect to children and teens on an emotional level
and help guide them from an understanding point of view. I'll always give my greatest effort
to support you to the best of my ability and I look forward to meeting with you soon.
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Sophia Robichaud
Hey guys, my name is Nathan. I'm a current CSUN MFT graduate student and I'm also a MFT trainee
supervised by Kent Tucson at CTC. I wanted to become a therapist because one of my goals was to
be someone that people can rely on in their times of need, whether it be a shoulder to lean on,
a listening ear, or if all just somebody that they can turn to when they're unsure what to do.
As a side note, one of my bigger goals was to be able to shed light on mental health awareness in
the Asian community. So me being half Chinese, half Filipino, as I mentioned just being able
to spread awareness to not only my own communities but other communities that I'm going to have
the pleasure of working with in the near future.
I wanted to work with children and teens mainly
because of the energy that they bring to the table. Something about the youthfulness, the joyfulness,
the youthful and innocent energy is something that really resonates with me and I'm very much
looking forward to being able to tap into
my own inner self and my inner child and being able to for example, make art with them, play games
with them overall, just be a big brother to them. I can imagine that some of the benefits of therapy
for kids and teens can lie along the lines of just being able to guide them through such a ever
-changing time of their life, whether it be moving to a new school and navigating new relationships,
navigating their, you know, their friends they meet along the way, just being able to be a big
brother to them and guide them through the times of when they're unsure is one of my bigger goals
as well. Some of the interests and hobbies that I have for myself is I'm a big sports guy, I love
watching soccer, tennis, basketball, baseball, you name it. I also played tennis myself.
I played it all my life. I played club tennis for San Diego State when I was over there doing my
undergrad. And another fun fact about me is that I am a semi -retired Rubik's Cube solver. And
so I've had the pleasure of going
throughout the US, just competing and being able to solve the cube, meeting so many new people
and also recording some fast times along the way. So that's a little bit about me. I look forward
to working with you at Child and Teen Counseling. Thank you.
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Olivia Sung
Hi, I'm Olivia. I'm from San Diego, California. I just graduated from UC Berkeley, where I double
majored in psychology and gender women's studies. And right now I'm at Pepperdine Graduate
School of Education and Psychology. I wanted to become a therapist, I think from when I was in
high school. I was dealing with my own mental health issues and I felt like I didn't have the resource or the support that I wanted and needed. and I realized that a lot of my friends and my classmates were suffering from mental illness as well, but didn't want to talk about it. And there was such a stigma around mental health. So I created a club in high school where we would have open conversations about mental health. And I think that's kind of where my passion sparked.
I really like helping people and then being open with my experiences. I can empower other people to be open with theirs. I'm most drawn to working with children and teens because I feel that I can relate and empathize with them the most and I just want parents to know that yes I am young but I feel that that gives me an advantage with helping their child because I remember what it's like to be their age and I think that I can connect with them on a different level. Thank you for listening
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Jimmy Barker
My name is Jimmy Barker and I'm a trainee therapist at Child and Teen Counseling, supervised
by Kent Tucson. Before realizing I could be useful as a therapist, I've worked across different
roles in the creative industries. But I think more importantly, is that I've known suffering
and I've known pain. And I've also been part of, and I continue to be part of, healing and incredible
relationship with my therapist and I've seen firsthand how I've been able to take more responsibility
and self -direction in my life and ultimately I've changed. My practice is really centered
around the idea that every person has the ability to direct their behaviors, their attitudes,
their relationships and my job as a therapist is really to work to imagine what it might be like
to be going through the things you're going through and to build a partnership where we can remove
the blocks that are stopping you getting to where you want to be. I use talk therapy, play therapy
and creative arts expression therapy.
I also help to teach techniques like non -violent communication and mindfulness. I chose to
train here at Child and Teen Counseling specifically because I could really feel the care not
only that they give their clients but to the trainees and I loved their kind of mantra of change
happens at the speed of trust, which felt very true to me. And kids and teens, you know, I think
partly I'm specializing with them because I love the energy they give and this kind of fresh
experiencing and insight. But I also know how much it would have meant to me to have a therapist
at that age and I have seen at how as an adult you know those experiences as a child and as a teen
really continue to play out. So I hope this has been helpful and take care of yourself.
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Ian Lock
Hi, my name is Ian and I'm a current Marriage and Family Therapist trainee at Child and Teen Counseling. I got my Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from Chapman University and I'm currently in the process
of getting my Master's Degree from Pepperdine University. A little bit about me, I'm originally
from Seattle, Washington where I really grew up with a strong interest in sports and video games
and then along with that I also have a strong interest in cooking and anything to do with music.
I think I really got into this field specifically because of my own interest in giving back to
the community around me.
Coming from a Chinese family background, there's always a strong
emphasis on paying it forward to the next generation and taking care of the people around you,
two things that I think are extremely important and have given me a lot of passion for this kind
of work. I'm really passionate about working with kids and teens and it's something that I think
it's a privilege to be able to participate in. So I really look forward to seeing you guys soon, and thank you so much.
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Rosie Fiore
Hello, my name is Rosie Fiore and I am a marriage and family therapist trainee here at Child and
Teen Counseling. I am a native Angeleno and a Total Valley girl. I've actually lived here in
Woodland Hills my entire life. So yeah, when I was thinking about what population I wanted to
work with as a therapist, I reflected on what the very famous Mark Twain once said, which was
write what you know. I think it is Mark Twain that said that. I don't know. Anyway, whomever said
it, it really resonated with me. I can still so vividly remember what it felt like being a kid
and flooded with conflicting feelings and like a rollercoaster of emotions and all these mixed
messages coming at me all at once so quickly and was so hard to decipher the thoughts that were
mine or someone else's and influence and knowing what voice to listen to and which one to disregard.
Our childhood experiences play a huge role in shaping our self -esteem and how we see ourselves
as adults. And as a parent the love we have
for our kids is so profound and all we want is the best for them. But then somehow the wires get
crossed and there's this communication breakdown and that's why I really enjoy working collaboratively
with the whole family so we can figure out ways to communicate better and create more effective
behaviors and patterns and ultimately everyone can become the best version of themselves.
Sometimes a kid just needs someone to talk to and open up and just hold space for them and it's
really difficult because sometimes it can't be a family member or somebody in their social
circle and therapy can help the child identify and understand their moods and their emotions,
their motivations, and help them make sense of what's going on inside of them. Because if memory
serves, there is a lot going on inside of them. Look, it's not easy being a child or a teen or an
adult or a parent. And this goes by so incredibly fast. So we want to enjoy our communication
and create these wonderful habits so we can look
back and remember the good things. For instance, techniques such as cognitive behavioral
therapy, structural family therapy, and narrative therapy can improve the way we communicate
with one another. I would love the to come and meet with you and your kids independently or together
and just hear what you guys all have to say. So I appreciate you guys listening and I hope to see
you soon.
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Sonja Bartlett
Hey, I'm Sonja, and I'm a therapist in training at Child and Teen Counseling, and I'm also pursuing a master's right now at CSUN. I'm so excited to be working with kids and teens because I think that these are incredibly formative years where there tend to be a ton of changes happening and transitions that are occurring.
And I think it's super important to be able to find a space
where you can process all of that and explore different parts of yourself and your relationships to other people. And I really believe that the therapy process can help make that happen, especially if I, as a therapist, show up without judgment and help you feel really heard and like we're collaborating together and connected to each other. A little bit about me, I love taking my dog Dizzy for walks or for hikes, especially out in nature. She really loves to spin around and chase her tail, especially when she gets excited, hence the name Dizzy. And I also love cooking for friends and family, specially if it's something like a wintry stew or like some sort of fruit cobbler. Thanks so much for listening to my video, and I really hope that we get to work together soon.
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Hari Simran Khalsa
Hi, my name is Hari Khalsa, and I am a trainee here at Child and Teen Counseling. A little bit about
me and my background. I've been working in the healthcare field for over 10 years, mostly in
alternative medicine. And I've had the privilege of working with many individuals from all
kinds of backgrounds through all different age ranges.
It's led me to pursue a master's degree
in marriage and family therapy at CSUN. Personally, therapy has been a profound and very supportive
thing in my life. It's helped me move through some really important transitions and changes
thus far. And I'm really looking forward to providing that same support to individuals, especially
to children and teenagers and their families. Other things that I enjoy, I love music. I really
like playing the guitar and singing and writing. I love being outside. I'm an avid hiker, and
I also really love baking. Baking has been something that I've done since I was a teenager, and
it has kind of been passed down through my family.
I've gotten to learn from my grandmother and my father, and it's also been a really great way
for me to express my creativity and to also bring people together. Thank you so much for listening
to my video and getting to know me a little bit. I'm really looking forward to meeting you and
your family.
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